Thursday, May 14
Today is St. Matthias the Apostle day. Who is Matthias and why does he have his own day?
According to the book of Acts, Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot after Judas had betrayed Jesus. The criteria to be able to take over this role was (1) needed to be a disciple from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and (2) be baptized by John.
We don’t read anything more about Matthias and historians give conflicting accounts about his life. He was either a fisherman or a carpenter (maybe both) before becoming a missionary in the early church.
The name Matthias is of Greek origin and means gift of God.
He is said by some to be the patron saint of alcoholics but others claim it is St. Monica. Fun fact: St. Andrew is the patron saint of whiskey.
Some historians say Matthias died of old age and others claim that he was martyred.
What can we learn from this man? The first thing is we must always be open to what God wants us to do. Matthias wasn’t one of the original twelve but he was a follower of Jesus. We may not have been told what his role was once he became an apostle but he would have worked with the others as they spread the Gospel. He would have been present at Pentecost when Peter preached and Holy Spirit came down.
It doesn’t matter if he was a carpenter or a fisherman but what matters was he was a faithful follower. He was willing to take his place among the apostles and fill whatever role was needed.
We are all called to different ministries. Are we willing to carry out the ministries to which we have been called?
Prayer
Father, you called Saint Matthias to share in the mission of the apostles. Help us hear your voice when you call us to be your servants. May we receive with joy the love you share with us and be counted among those you have chosen. We pray this through Jesus Christ your son who reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN
